Chapter 180: The Very Gullible Nagato

Nagato sat on the high tower, looking at the endless rain in Amegakure, his eyes filled with confusion and struggle.

In the days since he was persuaded by Obito, he had witnessed the reforms of Konohagakure with his own eyes and seen the order pushed by the unified regime.

It was a nation where peace was constantly expanding its reach, sparing the people from the suffering of displacement and the ninja from the need to slaughter one another.

Although neither Nagato nor Konan could fully understand it, they could at least see that the land under Konohagakure's rule was healing from the pain brought by the chaotic world.

He wavered, beginning to ask himself time and again: had the peace he had pursued for so many years already been realized by Konohagakure?

If peace had already descended, did his Rinnegan still need to shoulder the responsibility of saving the world?

And the original intent of the Akatsuki, was it no longer needed?

Just as Nagato's conviction was violently shaking, the space behind him twisted slightly, and the imposing "Madara" walked out slowly from the spiral gate.

"Nagato, are you doubting whether the peaceful and prosperous age created by Konohagakure is the realization of peace?"

Obito's question struck directly at the confusion in Nagato's heart.

Nagato slowly raised his head, his gaze dazed: "Yes, four nations are controlled by Konohagakure, the flames of war have vanished, the people live and work in peace, and life is prosperous..."

"Is this not the peace we wanted to create?"

"No."

Obito denied it flatly.

"This is a temporary peace, a peace forcibly suppressed by brute power."

"Back then, did Senju Hashirama and I not create peace?"

"Yamanaka Chujiu using the regime of Konohagakure to realize peace on a larger scale is no different from how we initially crushed the Land of Fire with force, bound ninja with ninja villages, and suppressed strife with order."

"I saw the problem within this, which is why I left Konohagakure."

"Senju Hashirama could not see through this problem and persisted until he died in the position of Hokage, and war broke out immediately—a super war that swept across the entire Ninja World."

"True peace is tranquility that springs from the human heart; it is the freedom of equality for all living things, not the confinement of one person holding power while the masses submit."

"What you, I, and Yahiko have sought all our lives is a world where everyone is willing and coexists with one another, not this false peace and prosperity built upon brute power."

There was actually a hint of compassion in Obito's tone, as if he were truly speaking of a sacred, great plan.

"You bear the Rinnegan of the Sage of Six Paths; you are destined to save the Ninja World, to shatter all injustice, and to reshape the order of the Ninja World, not to submit to the order of others."

"Especially this kind of seemingly beautiful reality before our eyes, which is actually a false peace that forcibly suppresses everyone's soul and is destined to brew even more terrifying wars in the future!"

"Believe me, only in the Infinite Tsukuyomi cast by the Eye of the Moon Plan can we realize an ideal Pure Land without autocratic rule, without distinctions between strong and weak, and without oppression and suffering, allowing everyone to live within it."

"This is the ultimate peace of the Ninja World, and the eternal peace that you and Yahiko have exhausted your lives to realize."

Nagato sat blankly in his wheelchair, his heart in a chaotic mess.

After a long while, he said in a low voice: "Madara, what you say makes sense."

"However, I was defeated before Yamanaka Chujiu."

"If we cannot even defeat him, how can we collect the nine Tailed Beasts and resurrect the Ten-Tails?"

A triumphant smile appeared on the face of Obito hidden beneath the mask: "I have a way."

"During the First Konoha Civil War, Orochimaru used the Impure World Reincarnation to summon two former Hokage and beat the Third Hokage."

"That was a crucial link in Orochimaru's victory."

"I also know the technique of Impure World Reincarnation; we can summon powerful ninja who have already died in the Ninja World to serve as our strength to defeat Konohagakure."

Hearing this, Nagato's eyes lit up: "Summoning dead powerhouses can indeed suppress strong individuals like Orochimaru and Yamanaka Chujiu well, but it cannot stop the ninja army of Konohagakure."

"As far as I know, the total number of ninja in Konohagakure now has reached forty thousand, and with the addition of Mist Ninja, the total can reach fifty thousand."

"This is a very terrifying power that a few experts cannot contend with."

Obito laughed: "I have prepared for decades; how could I not have prepared the power to deal with a ninja army?"

"Have you heard of White Zetsu?"

Nagato narrowed his eyes: "What is White Zetsu?"

Obito replied: "It is a type of weapon."

As he spoke, he summoned several White Zetsu, who stood there smiling foolishly at Nagato.

Obito said in a boastful tone: "These are combat weapons I cultivated using special plants; although they have no brains, they are extremely skilled at concealment and assassination."

"Their comprehensive strength is equivalent to a Konoha Chunin, and their numbers are as high as one hundred thousand!"

"One hundred thousand White Zetsu are enough to contend with thirty thousand Konoha ninja, and by uniting with Sunagakure, Kumogakure, and Iwagakure, as well as other ninja who are unwilling to submit, we will have enough power to crush Konohagakure."

"Once the rule of Konohagakure collapses, we will take the opportunity to move against the other three ninja villages, hunt all the Tailed Beasts, resurrect the Ten-Tails, and realize true eternal peace."

"Nagato, in the paradise of the Eternal Tsukuyomi, not only will peace be realized, but Yahiko will be alive, and even Orochimaru and Yamanaka Chujiu, whom we defeated, will be alive."

"As long as the Eye of the Moon Plan succeeds, no one will truly die, and everyone will be able to obtain their own happiness."

Nagato was deceived by Obito once again.

To be honest, the eternal peace Obito described was not perfect, but this rhetoric was designed specifically for the confused, cowardly, and indecisive Nagato.

It could be said that every word of Obito's either poked at Nagato's ideals or precisely eliminated his worries, making Nagato willingly allow himself to be deceived out of his own inner desires.

Nagato truly believed that he was about to dedicate himself to a great salvation, that they were going to destroy a false prosperous age and create eternal peace at the cost of himself.

Regarding the question of whether he was being deceived or whether he was someone else's predetermined sacrifice, Nagato did not think about it at all, and even deliberately avoided thinking about it.

Nagato asked the final question: "What do I need to do?"

Obito said solemnly: "You need to do something very, very important that no one else can replace."

"The Rinnegan harbors the power of the Sage of Six Paths; the most core technique among them is not a highly destructive technique like 【Chibaku Tensei】 or 【Shinra Tensei】, but the 【Gedo Art of Rinne Rebirth】 used to resurrect the sacrificed!"

Nagato asked in surprise: "You need me to resurrect someone?"

Obito nodded very seriously: "Yes, we need someone who can heal your physical disability and allow you to recover your health, thereby completely mastering the power of the Rinnegan."

Nagato believed him: "Fine, I will develop this technique as soon as possible!"